Philadelphia Phillies: MLB gets Ruiz's attention with 25-game ban

Just when Philadelphia sports seemed to have hit a nice, impenetrable slab of bedrock with the Eagles fully collapsed, Andrew Bynumís knees wrecked and the Flyers MIA, the Phillies would like to share this brick of plastic explosive with you:

Your All-Star catcher will be taking April off.

Major League Baseball informed Carlos Ruiz, whose breakout season might have been the only true offensive highlight for the Phils in 2012, Tuesday that he would be suspended for the first 25 games of the 2013 season after testing positive for Adderall, an amphetamine prescribed to treat attention-deficit disorder.

Adderall has emerged as an alternative-use drug for many people. Some are students hoping to be more alert during marathon cram sessions and high-stakes exams.

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In the athletic world, it has become a drug that has brought claims that it enhances focus, with some swearing it improves vision. In 2011 more than 100 MLB players had received medical exemptions to take Adderall for ADHD symptoms. That rate is exponentially higher than the rate of Adderall users in the general population.

Unlike teammate Cliff Lee and former teammate Shane Victorino, Ruiz did not have a prescription or exemption to use the drug, and the suspension means this was the second time a drug test showed a positive result for amphetamines in his system.

ďI am sincerely regretful for my mistake in taking a prohibited stimulant,Ē Ruiz said in a statement through the MLB Playersí Association. ďI apologize to my teammates, the Phillies organization and the Philadelphia fans.

ďI will serve the imposed 25-game suspension to begin the season, and I look forward to returning to the field and working toward bringing a championship back to Philadelphia in 2013.Ē

Ruiz hit .325 with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs in 372 at-bats for the Phils in 2012, as he did what he could to fill in the monumental holes in the middle of the order caused by Chase Utley and Ryan Howardís first-half absences. Ruiz, who turns 34 in January, was named to his first All-Star Game roster.

What will it mean for the Phillies in 2013? Well, it likely means Erik Kratz will get the same type of action in April he got in August and September of last season when he filled in during Ruizís trip to the disabled list. Kratz hit .248 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs in 141 at-bats and did enough to gain confidence that he can be the Philsí backup behind Ruiz next season. Ruiz is in the final season of his contract in 2013 at a bargain price of $5 million.

This suspension is unlikely to play much of a role in the Philsí plans with Ruiz beyond this contract, but Ruizís age and durability will. The organization likes Sebastian Valle, who had just turned 22 when he was called up to Triple-A last season. Valle, from Mexico, hit .253 with 17 home runs between Double-A Reading and Lehigh Valley. They added another prospect at catcher in Tommy Joseph when they traded Hunter Pence to San Francisco. Joseph, 21, hit .257 with 11 homers in Double-A last year, played in the Futures Game All-Star weekend and hit .275 in the Arizona Fall League. The progression of both young catchers will figure in Ruizís future with the organization.

Another failed drug test for Ruiz would mean an 80-game suspension. So there is no more room for error there.